Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Africa Western and Central
WB: Africa Western and Central: Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female was 70.82 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
70.82 million
Change on year
up 2.8%
Rank
70th
of 203 groups
All-time high
70.82 million
in 2024
All-time low
38.80 million
in 1990
Years of data
36
1989–2024
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Africa Western and Central, 1989–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Africa Western and Central is 70.82 million, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Africa Western and Central peaked at 70.82 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 38.80 million, in 1990.
WB: Africa Western and Central ranks 70th of 203 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 39.30 million | — |
| 1990 | 38.80 million | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 39.30 million | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 39.90 million | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 40.51 million | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 41.03 million | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 41.93 million | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 42.50 million | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 42.94 million | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 43.32 million | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 43.85 million | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 48.75 million | +11.2% |
| 2001 | 49.18 million | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 49.85 million | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 50.52 million | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 51.01 million | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 52.22 million | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 52.85 million | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 55.65 million | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 56.62 million | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 58.30 million | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 58.95 million | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 59.34 million | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 60.45 million | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 61.14 million | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 61.77 million | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 62.33 million | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 63.27 million | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 63.89 million | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 60.88 million | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 62.68 million | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 64.22 million | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 65.73 million | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 67.25 million | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 68.88 million | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 70.82 million | +2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 39.30 million | 39.30 million | 39.30 million | 1 |
| 1990s | 41.41 million | 38.80 million | 43.85 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 52.50 million | 48.75 million | 58.30 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.47 million | 58.95 million | 63.89 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.38 million | 64.22 million | 70.82 million | 5 |
More education data for WB: Africa Western and Central
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 4.61 million (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 7.4 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 1.89 million (2021)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.08 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.08 million (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate 0.7294 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.00 million (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 6.08 % change on previous year (2021)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 1.09 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 18.05 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Africa Western and Central?
- Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female in WB: Africa Western and Central was 70.82 million in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in WB: Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 70.82 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female recorded in WB: Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.80 million in 1990.
- How does WB: Africa Western and Central rank for adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female?
- WB: Africa Western and Central ranks 70th out of 203 groups with data for 2024.
- Is adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female rising or falling in WB: Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this WB: Africa Western and Central data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult illiterate population, 15+ years, female (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release